


Don't Forget Where You Belong

by lovetheblazer



Series: The Belonging Verse [1]
Category: Glee RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, M/M, Single Parents, crisscolfer, teacher darren
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-02
Updated: 2015-11-02
Packaged: 2018-04-29 12:36:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5127869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovetheblazer/pseuds/lovetheblazer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chris is a single dad to a five year old little girl who he adopted after the death of his best friend. Darren is her kindergarten/music teacher who Chris HATES with a passion because his daughter adores Darren and Chris is scared of being replaced.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Don't Forget Where You Belong

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Iliveinlouisass (Octoberrose11)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Octoberrose11/gifts).



Of all the plans Chris had for his life, becoming a parent at the age of twenty-three certainly wasn't one of them. He supposes that's what he gets for thinking he could control the uncontrollable. When Rebecca, his best friend from the time he was eight, sat him down and asked if he'd agree to be her newborn daughter's legal guardian, he'd said yes without hesitation. He was already Annabelle's godfather, so it didn't seem like much of a leap to make. Besides, back then they'd assumed Rebecca's cancer was entirely treatable and Chris never thought it would actually come to that. He'd signed the necessary papers for her will and immediately pushed the thought to the back of his mind. Little had he known then that in six months he'd be given the ultimate responsibility: caring for a new human life, all on his own.

The first year was without a doubt the hardest. Newborns were infuriatingly complex creatures, requiring endless reserves of patience, the ability to read their tiny minds, and the endurance to make it through an extremely mundane daily routine without burning out. Chris was determined to give Annabelle the best life possible, so his entire life got put hold for those few first years. There was no time for dating or a social life. The only writing that Chris accomplished was during Annabelle's nap time and even then, he fell asleep at his laptop more times than he cares to admit. Being a parent was the hardest work he's ever done, but seeing Annabelle begin grow and thrive made it all worthwhile.

* * *

 Four years later, Chris can't imagine his life without his daughter. She's his entire world and he is hers, and that's exactly how he wants it to be. Then, Annabelle starts kindergarten and their status quo is upended.

Chris is prepared for tears and separation anxiety on Annabelle's first day of school. He's read all the parenting books and browsed the parenting forums for advice on how to cope. Annabelle is a reasonably confident child; she can be shy at first, especially around new people, but she usually warms up fairly quickly. He has faith that she'll adjust in time and he's ready to provide lots of extra hugs and cuddles and stories in the meantime. What he's absolutely, positively  _not_  prepared for is Annabelle falling in love with her new teacher.

Her kindergarten teacher's name is Mr. Criss and he's infuriatingly charming and handsome. Technically, he's not  _just_  Annabelle's kindergarten teacher as he does double duty as the music teacher for the elementary grades as well. Each day after Chris picks Annabelle up from school, he has to endure the entire car ride home hearing all about Mr. Criss and the many wonderful things he taught the class that day. Chris knows he's being petty; he should be  _happy_  that his daughter likes her teacher so much. Still, that doesn't lessen the sting every time Annabelle gushes over him. Chris wants to be the only man in his daughter's life or at least the only one she looks up to with such blind adoration.

“Daddy, I learned a new song today!” Annabelle announces proudly as she runs over to him, her pigtails bouncing behind her.

“You did? That's great, Anna. You can sing it to me in the car, okay?” Chris tells her.

“Do you have a guibar? Mr. Criss uses that while we sing,” she asks. “You have to play it like this,” she continues, miming strumming in front of her body.

Chris chuckles. “I think you mean guitar, sweetie. And no, I don't have a guitar but that's okay, I'm sure you'll still sound great without it. Is your backpack already packed up?” he asks, glancing at the hooks in the back of the classroom where the students hang their bags.

“Whoops, I forgot,” she replies. “Be right back, Daddy.” Chris smiles as he watches her dash over to her desk and begin gathering up her things.

Chris feels someone tap his shoulder and whirls to find himself facing Annabelle's teacher.

“Hi,” Mr. Criss greets him. “You must be Annabelle's dad?”

“Yeah, I'm Chris,” he replies in a coolly measured tone, mentally pleading with Anna to hurry up so he doesn't have to make awkward small talk with someone he irrationally dislikes.

“I'm Darren!” he exclaims. “Awesome to finally meet you. Annabelle's a great kid.”

“She's the best,” Chris agrees with a tight smile.

“She thinks you're pretty great, too. Never shuts up about you, actually,” Darren adds.

Chris knows the polite thing would probably be to say something to Mr. Criss about how much his daughter loves being in his class, but he just can't make himself do it. “Thanks,” is all he winds up saying. Then, he digs his phone out of his pocket and looks at it to avoid more uncomfortable small talk.

Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Darren's face fall slightly. There are a few seconds of tense silence until Anna comes flying back over to them.

“Okay Daddy, I got all my stuff!” she announces.

“Did you remember your lunchbox this time?” Chris checks.

“Yep, I promise.” Her attention shifts to her teacher. “Mr. Criss, my daddy doesn't have a guibar like you. Can you come over so I can show him our new song, pretty please?”

Darren laughs and squats down to eye level with her. “I've got to stay here until all the other mommies and daddies come and pick up their kids, I'm afraid. But you know what it's called when you sing without any music?” he asks her.

“No, what?” she wonders curiously.

“Acapella. So, if you sing for your daddy without my guitar, that's what you'll be doing. You'll be singing the song acapella. Pretty cool, right?”

“Awesome!” Annabelle practically cheers. “Daddy, let's go sing ababella in the car,” she encourages, grabbing Chris's hand.

“You've got it, Anna,” Chris agrees easily, eager to escape from the classroom and Mr. Criss's obnoxiously skilled way with children. He laces his fingers through Annabelle's chubby ones and picks up her Frozen backpack before leading her out of the room.

“Nice to meet you!” Darren calls after them.

“Yeah, you too,” Chris replies, not bothering to turn his head as he throws a half-hearted wave over his shoulder.

* * *

After their first official meeting, Chris finds it harder and harder to avoid Darren. Annabelle goes out of her way to orchestrate encounters, lingering at Mr. Criss's desk long after the other kids have left. Darren doesn't seem to mind it much. It's clear that he adores Anna every bit as much as she idolizes him. Chris still can't get on board with the mutual adoration society, though.

Deep down, he knows it's probably something he needs to work on. There are some gaping insecurities he needs to address that stem from having never planned on being a parent, certainly not the adopted parent of a child who spent the first six months of her life being raised by someone else. Even though it's not what he chose for himself, he truly is her father now and it's something he's never regretted, not for a second. He knows it's naïve to believe that he'd always be the only man in her life, but he never expected to have to face this fear so soon. It's hard not to feel inadequate watching someone who's only known her for a couple of months effortlessly captivate her attention in a way he struggled for years to perfect. Child rearing hadn't come easily for Chris, and every time he sees Anna bonding with someone else, it triggers that little voice in the back of his head that asks,  _What if she would have been happier with someone else? What if you're not cut out for this? What if you fail her?_

* * *

On Friday afternoon, Chris gets a reprieve from the typical impromptu concert from Anna on the car ride home for school. He's going through the motions on autopilot, mind already drifting to what he's going to make for dinner as he helps Anna into her booster seat in the backseat of his SUV and buckles her in.  Their usual Friday routine involves stopping for ice cream on the way home, assuming Anna has been a big girl and slept in her own bed throughout the night all week. Chris assumes Anna is too focused on what ice cream flavor she wants to try this week to serenade him. So, it's a shock when she grabs his wrist, looking him straight in the eyes as she asks, “Daddy, why don't you have a boyfriend?”

Chris sputters, eyes going comically wide as he tries to come up with a reply. They've already had the talk about some boys liking girls and others liking boys, and some people liking both girls and boys. Sexual orientation doesn't phase Anna in the least. She knows that Chris is gay and that two of her most adored “aunts” (really, just close friends of Chris's that Anna calls aunts) are married to one another. She even proudly detailed this development to her preschool class last year when she brought the dress she wore as the flower girl in their wedding for show and tell. However, Chris didn't expect Anna to start commenting on his dating life (or lack thereof) so soon.

“I think someone is way too young to be worrying about who has a boyfriend and who doesn't,” Chris manages, trying at misdirection.

“Penelope and Emma have boyfriends, Daddy,” Anna insists, mentioning two of her classmates. “At recess, their boyfriends push them on the swings really high.”

“You don't have a boyfriend though, right? You're way too young for that,” Chris presses, panicked at the thought of having to deal with a boy crazy daughter, even though he knows the kindergarten definition of a “boyfriend” is mostly harmless.

“Nope, I'm going to wait until I'm a big girl, like maybe in first or second grade,” Anna reports, nodding sagely. Chris has to laugh despite himself. “But Daddy, you're already a big boy so you can have a boyfriend. Why don't you want one?”

“Can we talk about it on the way to get ice cream?” Chris asks, realizing belatedly that they are probably holding up the carpool line.

“Okay! Can I get sprinkles this time, please?”

“Sure, sweetheart,” Chris agrees. He carefully shuts Anna's door and climbs into the driver's seat.

“Don't forget your seatbelt, Daddy,” Annabelle reminds him seriously.

“I've got it, Anna,” he replies, smiling. He puts the car into gear and slowly eases it out of the carpool line and around the other stopped cars. “So, to answer your question,” Chris calls out to Annabelle in the back seat, “I don't have a boyfriend because I'm too busy being a daddy and I'd rather spend my free time with you and not some yucky boy.”

“You can't be a daddy and have a boyfriend too?” Anna asks, frowning in confusion.

“No, some people do. But it would mean I'd have to leave you with a babysitter or Grandma and Grandpa while I went on a date. Plus, I haven't met any boys I wanted to date in a long time,” Chris admits. It's true, he hasn't even  _tried_  to meet anyone since he adopted Anna. Amber and Kevin have been pestering him to make an online dating account for months now (even threatening to make one for him if doesn't agree) but he's waved them off, at least for now. It's not that he's opposed to meeting someone; Chris will concede that being a single parent can be quite lonely at times, but his number one priority is and always will be Annabelle. He's not going to sacrifice his quality time with her or introduce her to someone new unless he feels confident that the guy in question is trustworthy and likely to be around for the long haul.

“Mr. Criss doesn't have a boyfriend either,” Anna says, far too excitedly to come across as casual. “He's nice and has pretty hair. Why can't you date him?”

“Anna,” Chris sighs, shaking his head. Mr. Criss is the last person in the world he would want to date. Sure, he's attractive and charming enough, but he's also infuriatingly good with children and slightly smug and pushy, always wanting to tell Chris things he already knows about his own daughter. And he certainly isn't very good at reading signals, judging by how often he tries to pursue conversations with Chris even though he's blown him off numerous times. “He's your teacher, so it wouldn't be appropriate for me to date him,” he finally tells her, deciding it's the easiest way to justify his total lack of interest in Darren.

“What does approbriate mean, Daddy?”

“It's appropriate, baby. And when I say it wouldn't be appropriate, I mean it's against the rules,” Chris explains.

“And if you break the rules you would get in a lot of trouble?” Anna gasps. Chris glances back at her in the rearview mirror, chuckling softly at her wide-eyed horror at the thought of her father getting into trouble.  _That's my little perfectionist_ , he thinks fondly.  

“I don't know if  _I_  would get in trouble, but I think Mr. Criss might,” he responds.

“I don't want Mr. Criss to break the rules because then he'd have to go to jail and he couldn't be my teacher anymore,” Anna blurts out.  

Chris is desperate to switch the topic to anything besides Darren for a change. “Hey Anna Banana, we're almost to the ice cream shop – have you decided which flavor of ice cream you are getting today?”

“SPRINKLES!” Anna cheers loudly from the backseat.

Chris laughs. “Yes, I know you want sprinkles on top, but what kind of ice cream?”

“Can I have the green one with the chocolate inside?” Anna requests.

“You mean the mint chocolate chip ice cream?”

“Yeah Daddy, the green one. Can I have a cone, pleeeeeease?” Annabelle begs.

Chris has already learned from past mistakes that an ice cream cone is a recipe for disaster, especially in the car, because Annabelle eats much too slowly and the ice cream drips all over her hands, face, and school uniform. Last time Chrislet her have a cone, he practically had to hose her (and her carseat) off when they got home. “You know the rule, honey. You can have a cone on top, but they've got to put it in a cup so it doesn't get all over you, okay?”

“Okay,” Anna sighs dramatically. “But I still get sprinkles, right?”

“You can have all the sprinkles you want, I promise...”

* * *

A month later, Chris finds the parent teacher conference notice in Annabelle's backpack. He's immediately filled with irrational dread at the thought of being forced to spend thirty minutes one on one with Mr. Criss. He doesn't know why he's allowed Darren to get under his skin so much; Darren has been nothing but welcoming, friendly, and professional, not to mention a fantastic teacher that Annabelle adores. Still, imagining sitting in the classroom across from Darren makes Chris's palms sweat and his heart race. He'd be seriously tempted to skip the conference if he thought he could get away with it.

Ultimately, Chris's commitment to Annabelle's education wins out. He drops Anna off at her friend Madison's house for a playdate and reluctantly heads to the school for her parent teacher conference. He waits impatiently on a blue plastic chair outside Mr. Criss's classroom while the minutes tick on agonizingly slow. At 9:30 AM on the dot, the classroom door swings open and Darren ushers a set of parents out the door, laughing and shaking their hands in turn as he tells them goodbye.

Chris stands, mouth going dry with anxiety as he looks Darren up and down. He's dressed more formally than usual in slim fit khaki pants, a light blue button down shirt and tie, and a brown houndstooth print blazer with leather patches on the elbows. He's also wearing glasses which comes as a surprise to Chris since he's never seen Darren wear them before. He looks more like a slightly eccentric (read: hipster) college professor than a kindergarten teacher. It suits Darren, though, and if Chris is honest with himself, he'd have to admit that the look is really doing it for him.

“Hi, Mr. Colfer,” Darren greets him warmly. “Ready to go chat?”

“Sure,” he murmurs. “And Chris is fine.”

Chris follows Darren into the classroom, lingering awkwardly in front of the blackboard while Darren closes the door behind them, flipping over the laminated sign hanging on the window in the door to the side that reads 'Parent Teacher Conference in Progress – Please Wait on the Chairs Outside.'

“Come, have a seat,” Darren beckons, walking over to the chairs ringed in a loose semi-circle in front of his desk. Chris takes a seat in one of them, expecting Darren to sit behind his desk. Instead, he chooses the chair nearest to Chris. It's way too close for comfort in Chris's opinion, leaving him feeling even more off balance than he already did when he walked into the room.

Darren leans forward and grabs a manilla folder with Annabelle Colfer written on the tab off his desk. “So, just to give you an idea of the basic outline for our meeting,” he begins, “I'm going to start by briefly going through our curriculum goals for kindergarteners and giving you some feedback on where Anna stands on each of those. Then, we'll briefly review her classroom skills, which involves her progress on non-course related domains like social skills, behavior, and motor skills. That won't take very long in her case, because she's one of the brightest kids in my class and she's meeting or exceeding pretty much every benchmark. That means there should plenty of time for you to ask any questions you have, either about how Anna is doing in class or about my teaching. I want you to feel free to interrupt me at any time if you've got questions or feedback you'd like to provide. Basically this meeting is as much an opportunity for you to discuss your issues or concerns as it is for me to provide feedback. I'll also give you a copy of the paperwork that summarizes what we've talked about in case you want to share it with your partner or other family members,” Darren explains, seeming more nervous than Chris has ever seen him before. The feeling is definitely mutual on that one.

“It's just me,” Chris replies automatically. “I'm a single dad, so there isn't any partner waiting at home.”

“Oh,” Darren says with an unreadable expression on his face. “Okay, ready to get started?”

“Sure,” Chris replies, trying to muster even a little enthusiasm.

Darren begins going through his spiel, outlining Annabelle's progress in the classroom. Much like Chris expected, it's pretty much glowing remarks across the board. Anna is well ahead of what's expected of a typical kindergartener, especially in the domains of reading, letter and number recognition, and writing her name. Chris mentally pats himself on the back for making sure he reads to Anna for at least fifteen minutes every night before bed as it would seem his efforts are paying off.

By the time Darren gets to classroom skills, Chris is beaming just like any other proud parent would be. He's pleased to hear that Anna is also doing well socially. Darren tells him that she's made several close friends, she shares well with others, and enjoys pretend play and making up her own stories. The last one is especially heart-warming as it conjures up memories of Chris's own childhood and the hours he spent imagining the characters and fantasy world that would eventually become his manuscript for “The Land of Stories,” which is currently sitting on Chris's desk at home, waiting for the day when he gets the time and courage to send it to publishers for review. Chris savors the little glimpses of his personality or habits rubbing off on Annabelle; it's nice to know that even though she's not biologically related to him, he's still having a positive influence on her development.

“So, that covers most of the basics,” Darren finishes up. “The only thing I've really noted that she should continue to work on is her tendency to sometimes talk during class instead of paying attention or focusing on her work. And even that's a pretty minor thing that's developmentally appropriate for kids her age, to be honest.”

Chris chuckles. “Yeah, that's Anna for you. She's pretty chatty, especially when she gets excited about something. She definitely didn't get that from me.”

“No?” Darren asks with an amused raise of his eyebrow. “I never would have guessed...” he trails off, making it clear he's lightly teasing.

Chris blushes, feeling guilty because not being very talkative around Darren is less about his introverted tendencies and more about his irrational jealousy over Darren's bond with his daughter. Not knowing what else to say or do, he just shrugs helplessly.

Darren smiles tentatively, then looks down at the file he's holding. “Alright, now that we've gone over Anna's classroom evaluation, it's your turn. What questions or feedback do you have for me?”

Chris frowns, looking at his hands while he pretends to mull over the question. The truth is that he doesn't have any and his primary goal is getting out of the parent teacher conference as soon as humanly possible. “I... really can't think of any at the moment. Anna is really happy in your class, so it seems like things are going well?”

Darren nods slowly. “Well, I'm glad to hear that Anna is enjoying kindergarten so far. As I already said, she's a great kid and very bright. She's a joy to teach.”

“Great!” Chris trills, glancing at his watch. “Is that everything we needed to cover, then?”

“Not quite,” Darren murmurs, staring at the file folder in his hands again and avoiding eye contact with Chris.

Chris barely resists the urge to groan in frustration. “Oh?” he asks, trying for casual.

“It's really more of a question for you. Look, this is kind of awkward, but...” Darren sighs, rubbing the side of his neck nervously. “I've gotten the impression that you're unhappy or angry with me in some way? I can usually tell when parents dislike me or don't want to be here. And I just wanted to check with you and see if I'd inadvertently done something to offend you or if you were unhappy with some aspect of my teaching?”

Chris feels his cheeks flame beet red with embarrassment.  _Fuck._  He really hadn't meant to be so obvious. “No, of course not...” he begins to lie.

“Seriously, you aren't going to offend me,” Darren interrupts, seeing through Chris's bullshit. “It's only November and we've got quite a ways to go until May. I want us to have a good working relationship and be able to communicate.”

Chris heart sinks as he starts to realize there's really no getting out of this. Darren deserves to know the truth, if only so he'll believe that Chris isn't mentally disparaging his teaching abilities at every turn. “Okay fine, I'll explain,” he sighs, anxiously picking at his cuticles. “I was mostly telling the truth when I said I wasn't unhappy with you or your teaching. This is really more about me and my insecurities than anything else. So, first off, Annabelle is adopted. It wasn't something I'd planned for, becoming a parent when I was only twenty-three and practically still a child myself. My best friend, Anna's biological mom, got diagnosed with cancer a few years before she got pregnant. She thought she was in remission, but it came back full force not long after she delivered Anna. I was already Anna's godfather so it wasn't much of a leap to agree to be her legal guardian in case the worst happened. Anna's mom died when she was six months old and suddenly I was a single father to an infant,” Chris explains in a low voice.

“I can't even imagine,” Darren says, his voice filled with sympathy. “I knew Anna was adopted, because she told me when we were doing their family tree project, but I didn't know the circumstances behind it.”

Chris swallows hard. “Yeah, I mean it's not something I'd planned on but I can't imagine my life without her now. Being a single dad is hard, but it's also one of the most rewarding things I've ever done,” he confesses.

“I bet. Anna's a great kid,” Darren agrees.

His words remind Chris that he's supposed to be explaining why he's irrational annoyed by Darren. He takes a deep breath and plunges in. “There's a lot of insecurity that goes along with being an adoptive parent, especially in my case where it wasn't something I consciously chose and had time to prepare for, you know? I wasn't even 100% sure that I wanted kids of my own when my friend Rebecca asked me to be Anna's legal guardian. And none of this came naturally for me. I struggled with taking care of an infant and trying to bond with her initially. Eventually, we got there, though. For a lot of years, it was just Anna and me. I was the only man in her life. We did everything together...”

“Oh,” Darren says under his breath, eyes widening with recognition as he starts to get an idea where Chris is heading.

“So yeah, it's just been an adjustment, seeing my daughter suddenly adoring someone new. Every day on the ride home from school Anna is all 'Mr. Criss said this' or 'Mr. Criss taught me a funny new song.' It's totally irrational and immature and stupid of me, but I guess I was just... jealous?” Chris confesses, staring at his hands.

Darren's quiet for a long moment. Chris scarcely breathes while he waits for his reaction. He feels so silly for having admitted being jealous of Anna's teacher to his face.

Chris startles as Darren reaches over and places his hand on top of Chris's to get his attention. “Hey, it's not stupid or silly or anything of those things you said,” Darren insists, eyes bright. Chris stares back at him, lump in his throat. “I get it. Seriously, I do. Kindergarten is a big step for most parents. It's the first time they have to let their kids go and be supervised by a total stranger. It's the first time all of you have to share your kids with someone else. Trust me, I understand.”

“I'm sorry if I've been a dick to you,” Chris mumbles.

Darren laughs and squeezes his hand. “It's okay. I can take it.”

“Still, I suck,” Chris adds, pretending to hang his head in shame.

“You definitely don't suck. Also, can I let you in on a little secret?”

“Sure?” Chris agrees, curious.

“Anna talks about you all the time in class. She's constantly talking about the fun stuff you do together, the stories you make up at bedtime, even what you cook for her. I've been told that your chocolate chip smiley face pancakes are the bestest, even,” Darren pretends to whisper conspiratorially, grinning.

Darren's confession is strangely reassuring to Chris. He knows Darren's telling him the truth because those details could only have come from Anna herself. “My pancakes are pretty great,” he chuckles.

“You don't have to rub it in, man!” Darren teases. “I love pancakes and sadly, I won't ever get to try the bestest pancakes in all the land.”

“Hey, never say never,” Chris winks, feeling lighter than he has in weeks or months.

“I'm going to hold you to that. Maybe you can bring them when it's your turn to be snack parent?” he suggests.

“Not sure how well pancakes will travel, but I'll see what I can do...”

* * *

After the parent teacher conference, something notable shifts between Chris and Darren. It's not just that Chris is no longer actively avoiding seeing him– it's more than that. They speak almost every day after school when Chris comes to pick up Annabelle and quickly their topics of conversation shift from classroom activities and how Anna is doing and into more personal territory. Oddly enough, Chris doesn't even mind. Darren is surprisingly easy to talk to, and it's hard to feel shy or self-conscious around Darren after he already had to admit the most embarrassing thing possible during their last conference.

Anna is thrilled to linger in the classroom and watch her two favorite people in the world getting to know on another better. If Chris didn't know better, he'd think she was even trying to play matchmaker given how often she attempts to invite Mr. Criss over to their house for a playdate or dinner. Chris knew letting her watch The Parent Trap had been a bad idea.

Darren skillfully sidesteps each and every invitation Anna extends, using various excuses or misdirections to avoid saying no outright. Chris isn't disappointed necessarily, because he's also aware that it's a bad idea to start a social relationship with Anna's teacher. Still, it's hard not to feel a tiny bit rejected that Darren doesn't even seem to consider it before gently turning Anna down.

It's been five years since Chris has had any real interest in dating and he's starting to realize that maybe it's time to get back out there. He's not sure when or how to accomplish it, because work and Anna consume just about every waking hour. He's not willing to sacrifice his precious quality time with his daughter for a string of pointless, depressing blind dates either. In the meantime, it's nice to have those ten to fifteen minutes in Mr. Criss's classroom every weekday afternoon. It's mostly platonic, but Darren makes Chris feel attractive, witty, interesting, and desired nonetheless. They talk about anything and everything and Chris flirts a little. If he's not mistaken, Darren flirts right back. It's quickly growing into his favorite part of the day.

* * *

“Daddy, did you know if you and Mr. Criss get married, your name would be Chris Criss? Isn't that funny? You'd have two Chris names,” Annabelle says casually over dinner one Sunday night.

The comment stops Chris dead in his tracks. He takes a deep breath and lets it out before he responds. “Who told you that, baby?” he asks her. He's pretty certain she doesn't know how marriage and taking a husband's name works already at age five. If she does, it's certainly not something that Chris has taught her.

“Mr. Criss did. I got a booboo on the playground and I was sad because it hurt so he said I could sit with him on the bench. He was trying to make me laugh by telling me silly things and he told me about your names. Then he gave me a bandaid and I felt better so I stopped crying,” Anna says very seriously. “See, it made a scab,” she adds, standing and showing her knee to Chris.

“I see that,” Chris acknowledges. “I think we've got some Frozen bandaids. I'll give you a new one after your bath, okay?”

“I want one with Olaf on it, Daddy!”

“Sure, sweetheart. Now go finish your spaghetti and I'll let you have dessert,” Chris says fondly. He watches her plop back down in her chair and enthusiastically dig into her dinner, chin already covered in marinara sauce.

Chris's mind races as he thinks back over what Anna just told him. It seems innocent enough that Darren told his daughter something to try to make her laugh when she was hurt. But of all the things he could have possibly come up with, he brought up marriage to Chris. That hardly seems like a coincidence. Maybe there's a mutual interest there after all? It's certainly piqued Chris's curiosity. He recalls the last few invitations that Anna has extended to Darren. Chris has always been a little miffed that Darren rejects the invites so quickly, seemingly forever prepared with a decent excuse.

“Hey Anna, why do you invite Mr. Criss to our house so much?” Chris asks her, realizing they've never really discussed it before.

“Because he's my friend and I want him to be your friend, too,” she mumbles around a mouthful of food.

Chris waits until she finishes chewing and swallowing before he asks her a follow-up question. “Why do you want him to be my friend?”

“You don't have that many friends, Daddy. I have so many friends: there's Penelope, Madison, Emily, Clara, Emma, Isabelle...” she starts listing.

“I have some friends,” Chris protests weakly. He does have friends, but the truth is that he sees them far less frequently these days. His social life is pretty lacking at the moment.

“You hardly ever play with them. You just work and play with me and get on your combuter and do boring stuff. You don't even play the games on your combuter,” she says, rolling her eyes.

“It's computer, honey,” Chris gently corrects.

“That's what I said, Daddy,” she scoffs.

“So, you want Mr. Criss to be my friend, not yours?” Chris checks.

“He can be both of our friends. We can share!” Anna giggles.

“That seems like a good idea. It's nice to share,” he agrees. “Should I invite him to come over for movie night Saturday?”

Movie night is another one of their weekly traditions. Chris orders pizza and they get into their pajamas early and snuggle up on the couch to watch a movie together. Chris has been slowly working his way through showing Anna the Disney classics from when he was growing up. So far, her favorites have been The Little Mermaid and Aladdin while Chris's is still Peter Pan. It's his favorite part of the week, getting to relax and spend quality time with Anna. He considers it sacred family time, but something tells him Darren would fit right in.

“Yay Daddy, please tell Mr. Criss to come!” Anna cheers, bouncing in her seat. “It's my turn to pick the movie, right? If he comes can we watch The Little Mermaid again? Pleeeeeease?”

“Sure, honey. But let's not get too excited yet, okay? Mr. Criss might have other plans and not be able to come. We can ask him, though,” Chris tells her, trying to temper her excitement (and his own, if he's completely honest). His stomach flips at the thought of asking Darren out on a date. He's scared of rejection, especially since Darren has turned down every invitation so far. However, up until now, Anna's been the one doing the asking, so Chris can see how Darren might have assumed that he wasn't really wanted there, even though that couldn't be farther from the truth. He just hopes that when he's the one asking, the outcome will be different.

* * *

“Daddy!” Annabelle calls to him, rushing over to the door to the classroom as soon as he arrives to pick her up from school.

“Hey angel,” he greets her, bending down to her level so he can give her a hug. “Did you have a good day at school?”

“Yeah, it was fun. We learned a song about colors today and another one about the days of the week,” she reports, twirling her ponytail between two fingers. “Can we ask Mr. Criss to come to our house now? I told him we wanted to talk to him about something fun, but I didn't tell him what just like I promised you.”

Chris feels butterflies flutter in his stomach. He stands, smoothing his dress shirt and straightening his tie. He purposefully spent a little extra time getting ready this morning, wanting to look his best. He hopes it'll give him the additional confidence necessary to ask someone out for the first time in nearly five years. He glances across the room and confirms that Darren is alone, straightening some papers on his desk. “Sure, let's go talk to him,” he finally agrees.

Annabelle takes Chris's hand and leads him over to Darren's desk. “Mr. Criss, my daddy wants to ask you something,” she announces with a broad smile.

“Hey Chris, good to see you,” Darren greets warmly. “Did you guys have a good weekend?”

“We went ice skating and I only fell down twice,” Anna replies for both of them. “Daddy fell down like five hundred times.”

Darren laughs long and hard at that. Chris blushes, but laughs too despite himself. “Anna, you weren't supposed to tell anyone what a giant klutz I am,” he stage whispers.

“What's a klutz?” Anna wonders aloud.

“Someone who falls down a lot,” Chris replies.

“Oh okay. Hurry up and ask Mr. Criss, pleeeeeease,” Annabelle prods, single-minded in her desire.

“I... believe you were going to ask me something,” Darren jokes, eyes bright.

“Well, the two of us were wondering if you might like to come over this weekend for movie night on Saturday? It's a Colfer house tradition. We order pizza and put on our pajamas and watch a Disney movie together,” Chris explains, heart pounding.

“It's my turn to pick the movie so we're going to watch The Little Mermaid. It's  _so good_. Ariel is my favorite princess in the whole wide world,” Annabelle adds.

“That is a really good movie,” Darren confirms. “Alan Menken is my favorite composer, actually, so how could I resist?”

“You'll come?” Chris checks.

“I'd love to,” Darren confirms, beaming.

“Yay, we're going to have so much fun. What kind of pajamas are you going to wear, Mr. Criss? I'm going to wear my snowman pajamas because it's almost Christmas,” Annabelle explains.

“Mr. Criss doesn't have to wear pajamas if he doesn't want to, A,” Chris interjects.

“Um,  _excuse you,_ I'm definitely wearing pajamas. I've got some totally sweet Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle ones I've been meaning to show off,” Darren huffs in mock exasperation.

“Daddy has turtle ones, too!”

“Wait, really? Ninja Turtle ones?” Darren's grinning at him, eyes wide.

“Heck yeah, that was my favorite cartoon as a kid. I'm psyched that it's making a comeback now.”

“Same here. And it looks like we can match at movie night? What time should I come over?” Darren inquires.

“How's 6:00 PM?” Chris suggests.

“Perfect. Can't wait.”

* * *

Chris stirs at the sound of rustling. He groans and shifts, neck twinging painfully. He drags his eyes open reluctantly, frowning as the first thing he sees is a mass of brown curls. It takes him a long moment to put everything together. The last thing he remembers of the previous evening is watching The Little Mermaid with Darren and Anna. She'd fallen asleep during the second half of the movie and he'd carried her to bed and tucked her in. Then, he'd opened a bottle of wine and split it with Darren while they got to know one another a little better. Their conversation had led to kisses and more drinking and...  _shit_. They must have fallen asleep on the couch. Chris knew that third glass of wine had been a bad idea, especially when parenthood meant his alcohol tolerance was crazy low these days.

Chris is sprawled out on the couch with his head bent at an awkward angle and resting on the arm of the couch. Darren is half on top of him with his head snuggled into Chris's chest. His free arm is numb due to being pinned between Darren and the back of the couch. Even in his panic at their unintended sleepover, Chris feels his heart swell with affection. After years of being single, he'd almost forgotten how nice and comforting it was to sleep with another person, even just platonically.

He hears the water running in the bathroom and begins trying to wake Darren up in his earnest. “Hey, Darren,” he hisses under his breath, shaking him by the shoulder.

Darren whines and mumbles something Chris can't quite make out before burying his face in Chris's pajama top. “No seriously, wake up,” Chris insists more loudly.

Darren reluctantly lifts his head, rubbing his eyes and blinking sleepily. “Chris?” he murmurs hoarsely.

“Yeah, I think we must have fallen asleep,” Chris explains.

“Crap, what time is it?” he asks.

“Not sure exactly, but early. It's morning. Pretty sure Anna is awake though and it's really going to confuse her if you're still here when she gets up,” Chris explains apologetically.

“Oh shit, I didn't even think...” Darren sits up, running a hand through his hair. “Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep, it was totally an accident,” he babbles.

“Shh, I know. Not your fault. It was definitely the wine's fault,” Chris chuckles softly, glaring at the empty bottle on the coffee table.

“Yeah agreed,” Darren says, looking around and trying to locate his shoes.

Chris hears the bathroom door open with a creak and the sound of little feet skipping down the hall. “Crap, too late,” he whispers, trying not to panic.

“Mr. Criss, you're still here!” Anna cheers, face lighting up as she runs into the living room and immediately bounds over to him for a hug.

“Hey there,” Darren greets her. He hugs her back, shooting Chris a bewildered look and shrugging helplessly over her shoulder.

Chris starts trying to figure out how to explain Darren's presence to Anna, assuming she'll have a lot of questions.

“Good morning, Daddy,” she says after she releases Darren, crawling into Chris's lap. “Can Mr. Criss stay and watch cartoons with me?”

That was definitely not the question he was anticipating. “Uh, that's up to Mr. Criss, honey,” he finally replies.

Darren shoots him a loaded glance, clearly wanting some guidance. “It's fine,” Chris mouths at him.

“Sure, I guess I can stay a little while,” Darren tells her. “What are we watching?”

“Scooby Doo!” she announces excitedly. “Sometimes it's scary when there are ghosts, but I'm brave now since I'm going to be six years old soon.”

“Wow, you're going to be a big girl soon?” Darren gasps in mock surprise.

“Yep, and big girls don't get scared of ghosts, so...”

Chris grabs the remote and navigates to their DVR and pulls up an episode of Scooby Doo that Anna hasn't seen yet. “Alright Anna, what do you want for breakfast?” he asks.

“Can we have pancakes with the chocolate in them? Please? I'll be so good,” she begs.

“We should probably ask our guest what he wants for breakfast first,” Chris nudges. “That would be the polite thing to do.”

“Mr. Criss, do you like my daddy's pancakes? They are so yummy,” Anna tells him eagerly.

“With a review like that, how can I resist? Pancakes sound perfect,” Darren agrees easily.

Chris nods decisively. “Pancakes it is!” Alright Anna Banana, you've got to sit in your own spot if you want me to cook pancakes,” he prompts, trying to slide her off his lap.

She's so intent on her cartoons that she doesn't acknowledge what Chris has said but she allows Chris to plop her down on the couch.

“Need any help?” Darren offers.

“Nah, I've got it. You can keep Anna company.”

* * *

Chris wanders out to the living room with three plates of pancakes about twenty minutes later. He pauses, hovering in the threshold to the living room as he silently takes in the scene. Annabelle has migrated closer so that she can rest her head against Darren's side while she watches her cartoon. Darren's arm is slung over the back of the couch and he's equally engrossed in the antics of Scooby and Shaggy onscreen. A few months ago, seeing his daughter so close and comfortable with someone else would have been enough to make him incoherent with jealousy. Now, the sweet, domestic scene makes his heart flutter and his mind race with all the potential it suggests for their future. Darren must feel the eyes upon him because he looks over at Chris, eyes softening as he gives him a private smile.

“Okay, who's ready for smiley face pancakes?” Chris calls out.

“Me!” Anna cheers. “I'm going to eat six whole pancakes because I'm about to be six.”

“I... don't think I'm quite up to eating thirty something pancakes,” Darren jokes. “I think I'll just start with one or two, personally.”

Chris sits down on the other side of Anna and passes out the plates.

“Daddy, can you tell Mr. Criss he should stay for lunch and dinner and snack time and breakfast tomorrow and all the meals?” Anna requests while she stabs a forkful of pancake.

“That... is a lot of meals, Anna. Let's take it one step at a time, okay?” Chris replies noncommittally.

“I mean, she's got one thing right: I  _do_  like to eat. These are delicious, by the way,” Darren tells Chris.

Chris grins back at Darren fondly. On second thought, maybe letting Anna watch “The Parent Trap” hadn't been such a bad idea, after all.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! If you'd like to share this fic on Tumblr, you can do so by reblogging my fic post which can be found [here](http://lovetheblazer.tumblr.com/post/132378389220/dont-forget-where-you-belong).


End file.
